Well, Reeves is better than VHutchins. He's a more gifted athlete and has been more productive. I'm not sure why Reeves has such a bad rap. He was pretty good for Dallas last year. I hate Dallas and when Newman went down injured early, I thought they were in a lot of trouble. Reeves held down the position very well, I thought.

I am inclined to agree really about Reeves. I think some of it is an anti-anything Dallas skew and who he is tagged to at least temporarily replace.

FWIW some people should take what they are saying about Brown going against MW making him better. Reeves was lined up against TO all last year.

Overall we have some nice pieces being brought together and I don't think it can be said Smith doesn't have a good palette to work with like before. I'm not asking for a masterpiece but at the same time I don't want something that looks like paint by numbers.

[quote=TheRealJoker;938599]This is in Total Defense, you can also throw in ppg and takeaways but mainly just the overall defensive rank. Now that we've signed Colvin I think we're through with notable FA signings this offseason.

Colvin brings us a pass rushing presence opposite Mario which was the most glaring hole left that needed to be filled after the draft. He has some negative things about him however, he has played mainly LB since he's been in the NFL whereas the Texans will most likely have him play DE in passing situations. But the biggest negative is HEALTH. QUOTE] I disagree with you on him being mainly a Linebacker his best two seasons were at the DE position where he registered 10.5 Sacks in Chicago where he was drafted. I do agree with you we have the potential to break into the top 10 defenses in NFL and that all depends on how well the secondary plays.

I disagree with you on him being mainly a Linebacker his best two seasons were at the DE position where he registered 10.5 Sacks in Chicago where he was drafted. I do agree with you we have the potential to break into the top 10 defenses in NFL and that all depends on how well the secondary plays.

We'll be an above average defense who is susceptible to the pass. I think we're going to see a lot of slants run on us this year. 3 wr sets are going to give us severe problems. When we play teams with young QB's however, and those that struggle to protect the QB, we will see a glimpse into the future.

Mike

I think that this is a good prediction right here.

The Texans will have problems in the secondary for sure. The pass rush should be better which will help, but how well they'll be able to hide a poor secondary is the question.

I really think that the Texans should make some offers for Lito Sheppard. I know his asking price is a little high, but he is a proven player and we need another CB really bad right now. We'll end up trying to get one in the first or second round of the draft next year most likely, so why not trade a pick or two for a guy that has been to two pro bowls and is still pretty young? At least you know what you're getting, instead of a rookie who will have growing pains.

I am inclined to agree really about Reeves. I think some of it is an anti-anything Dallas skew and who he is tagged to at least temporarily replace.

FWIW some people should take what they are saying about Brown going against MW making him better. Reeves was lined up against TO all last year.

Overall we have some nice pieces being brought together and I don't think it can be said Smith doesn't have a good palette to work with like before. I'm not asking for a masterpiece but at the same time I don't want something that looks like paint by numbers.

Going to say 10 on the spot.

Between Faggins (06) and Reeves last year, I don't know who was worse. And I'm inclined to say Reeves was. At the moment I don't have my notes from the seven games I reviewed, but if y'all want me to, I'll get it later.

As far as our D, I believe it will "look" better both on papers and on the field.
Various reasons:
Special team should be as solid, if not better. We have insurance in Slaton.
With good field position, the offense can operate better than otherwise.
On offense, the improvement in the running game will help us stay on the field longer, avoid too many third and long, and be more efficient in the redzone.
I expect us not to have to come back from as many deep holes as last year.
All this will help the defense.

By the same token, the addition of Okam to the rotation and the addition of all the speed in the LB corp will help us defend the run better.
That leads to more third and long situation for the opponents.
All of that will help the defensive backfield as well as increase the sack totals.

The Texans will have problems in the secondary for sure. The pass rush should be better which will help, but how well they'll be able to hide a poor secondary is the question.

I really think that the Texans should make some offers for Lito Sheppard. I know his asking price is a little high, but he is a proven player and we need another CB really bad right now. We'll end up trying to get one in the first or second round of the draft next year most likely, so why not trade a pick or two for a guy that has been to two pro bowls and is still pretty young? At least you know what you're getting, instead of a rookie who will have growing pains.

ah no. Don't spend your move up ammo a year away from when you are going to need it. Have you even previewed the '09 draft class yet ? Very bad idea.
Whole board of elite young OLBs, DEs, O-linemen... a monster FS, & Mr. Wells. Not a good idea at all. Robinson will be back in November and ready to be resigned. Or are you suggesting we cut Robinson outright and Give 'ol Litto Robinson's money ?

110 yards rushing per game.... can the o-line consistently keep the d-line fresh and sipping gator aide on the bench. Will they be good enough they go 180 degrees and use the rush to set up the pass? If we do that, the defense will meander into the top twelve.

__________________
"Everybody understands that the only way we're going to do it is by extremely hard work."

ah no. Don't spend your move up ammo a year away from when you are going to need it. Have you even previewed the '09 draft class yet ? Very bad idea.
Whole board of elite young OLBs, DEs, O-linemen... a monster FS, & Mr. Wells. Not a good idea at all. Robinson will be back in November and ready to be resigned. Or are you suggesting we cut Robinson outright and Give 'ol Litto Robinson's money ?

110 yards rushing per game.... can the o-line consistently keep the d-line fresh and sipping gator aide on the bench. Will they be good enough they go 180 degrees and use the rush to set up the pass? If we do that, the defense will meander into the top twelve.

Where did you get that I would want to cut Robinson? In this day and age you need several good CB's. And how do you know that Robinson is even going to come back and be completely the same guy? I sure hope he is, but there has been reports that his injury was so bad that he might not be quite as athletic or agile. I'm pretty confident that he will be the same guy, but again it isn't a guarantee. He isn't expected to come back until like week 10 anyway. That could end up being week 12 or 13 even. Right now our strongest CB is probably Bennett who barely played a few games last year and palyed really well, but he is going to have some extremely strong challenges this year.

I have no probelm giving up a 2nd round pick for a proven Pro Bowl CB that is still pretty young. He is proven, and many of the supposed studs that you find early in the draft end up being busts so I am more in tuned to invseting into a proven palyer rather than a player with hype. Sheppard and Robinson could end up being a great duo for many years to come with Bennett along as the 3rd guy working in the zone as well against spread offense formations. A lot of teams are doing that now days, and that is why 3 CB's that can play is becoming more of a NEED than a WANT.

Where did you get that I would want to cut Robinson? In this day and age you need several good CB's. And how do you know that Robinson is even going to come back and be completely the same guy? I sure hope he is, but there has been reports that his injury was so bad that he might not be quite as athletic or agile. I'm pretty confident that he will be the same guy, but again it isn't a guarantee. He isn't expected to come back until like week 10 anyway. That could end up being week 12 or 13 even. Right now our strongest CB is probably Bennett who barely played a few games last year and palyed really well, but he is going to have some extremely strong challenges this year.

I have no probelm giving up a 2nd round pick for a proven Pro Bowl CB that is still pretty young. He is proven, and many of the supposed studs that you find early in the draft end up being busts so I am more in tuned to invseting into a proven palyer rather than a player with hype. Sheppard and Robinson could end up being a great duo for many years to come with Bennett along as the 3rd guy working in the zone as well against spread offense formations. A lot of teams are doing that now days, and that is why 3 CB's that can play is becoming more of a NEED than a WANT.

Well, Texan early round draft picks since the regime change haven't been busts. Also, Sheppard has had a ton of injury problems the last 3 seasons.. that's why Phillie is moving on without him, probably.

The team feels better about the combination of Bennett, Reeves, DRobinson, Molden, and next season's 2nd round pick. I think that's reasonable.

Again, we don't know exactly how Robinson is going to rebound after this injury though. He probably will be the same guy but there is some question that he won't be. Hopefeully he will be.

Now Bennett, I'm excited about for the future.

Now Reeves was a waste of a signing. That was like taking Phillip Buchanon all over again. Cowboys fans were extremely happy to get rid of that guy, and he was always getting burnt.

As for the young rookie, he's unproven and he isn't expected to be a stand out player by any strong consensus. I'm not saying he can't or won't, but right now there is no reason to believe that he is the next answer at CB for eyars to come. We'll have to wait and see on him. If Robinson was healthy right now, the guy would probably not see the field much at all.

Again, Lito has had a few injuries but nothing major. I'll take a young guy that has been to two pro bowls early in his career any day. Last time I checked the Texans don't have any CB's on their roster that have made the pro bowl before. Yeah, I know that Robinson got shafted his rookie season and should have made it and all, but I think you get what I'm saying here. Sheppard is a proven CB in this league and could be the other guy on the side of a healthy Robinson for many years and I think between the two of them and help from Bennett as well that the Texans could have one of the best CB duo's for many years. I don't see how anyone could argue that.

Sheppard wants to be paid like an elite CB because when he's healthy he can perform at that level. Problem is, as dale mentioned, he has a recurring problem with injuries that have caused him to miss significant time. While I'd love to have him on the team, I don't want to bury a boatload of cash into a guy that could very well continue to miss games, especially seeing as we're just now about to resurface out of the cap hell Casserly and Co. got us in to.

The team's been very good about making modest FA acquisitions, which has allowed us to improve without breaking the bank, letting our cap slowly come back to a point where we could afford to make a splash in FA in the next couple years. Now's not the time to pay a fortune to a perennial injury risk.

Again, we don't know exactly how Robinson is going to rebound after this injury though. He probably will be the same guy but there is some question that he won't be. Hopefeully he will be.

Now Bennett, I'm excited about for the future.

Now Reeves was a waste of a signing. That was like taking Phillip Buchanon all over again. Cowboys fans were extremely happy to get rid of that guy, and he was always getting burnt.

Again, Lito has had a few injuries but nothing major. I'll take a young guy that has been to two pro bowls early in his career any day. Last time I checked the Texans don't have any CB's on their roster that have made the pro bowl before.

Wow, you have such flawed logic, I don't know where to start:

1.Who cares what Cowboy fans think about Reeves? Have you ever talked to one of them? Reeves is a scapegoat in Dallas because he was undrafted, he played poorly in the playoff game, and because they have to blame somebody when they lose because they feel entitled to win every game.

2.Who cares about Probowls?... let's see, Roy Williams has been to 5 probowls in 7 season, he's under 30 years old, and if you listen to Cowboy fans, they LOVE him! According to your criteria, we should trade our entire '09 draft to steal this guy away from Dallas.

3.There is a reason why Philadelphia is willing to trade away Sheppard.
a. generosity- they'd like to see Houston succeed because we're a bunch of well-deserving fans?
b. CBs aren't important in order to succeed in the NFC east?
c. They've decided to give up on '08 and rebuild?
d. His attitude or skills have diminished and they see a 2nd round pick as good value for him?
e. They have significant concerns about his ability to stay healthy?
f. It's a boring off-season and they're looking for something to do?

4. We traded two first day picks in order to get Phillip Buchanan, then we eliminated his potential competition at the position and handed him the job, unearned. Reeves didn't cost the team any picks nor does his contract prohibit the team from making other moves. And, he'll only make his way on the field if he earns it. And, he's not coming in thinking he's already a great player. He's here to work and improve and become a better player.

As a fan of a historically bad team, I can relate to skepticism or even cynicism. That being said, there are better ways to handle your fear of disappointment than by wildly criticising every decision being made and every piece of the puzzle without justification.

1.Who cares what Cowboy fans think about Reeves? Have you ever talked to one of them? Reeves is a scapegoat in Dallas because he was undrafted, he played poorly in the playoff game, and because they have to blame somebody when they lose because they feel entitled to win every game.

2.Who cares about Probowls?... let's see, Roy Williams has been to 5 probowls in 7 season, he's under 30 years old, and if you listen to Cowboy fans, they LOVE him! According to your criteria, we should trade our entire '09 draft to steal this guy away from Dallas.

3.There is a reason why Philadelphia is willing to trade away Sheppard.
a. generosity- they'd like to see Houston succeed because we're a bunch of well-deserving fans?
b. CBs aren't important in order to succeed in the NFC east?
c. They've decided to give up on '08 and rebuild?
d. His attitude or skills have diminished and they see a 2nd round pick as good value for him?
e. They have significant concerns about his ability to stay healthy?
f. It's a boring off-season and they're looking for something to do?

4. We traded two first day picks in order to get Phillip Buchanan, then we eliminated his potential competition at the position and handed him the job, unearned. Reeves didn't cost the team any picks nor does his contract prohibit the team from making other moves. And, he'll only make his way on the field if he earns it. And, he's not coming in thinking he's already a great player. He's here to work and improve and become a better player.

As a fan of a historically bad team, I can relate to skepticism or even cynicism. That being said, there are better ways to handle your fear of disappointment than by wildly criticising every decision being made and every piece of the puzzle without justification.

Your telling me that my logic is bad for wanting a proven player like Sheppard at a very important position at CB, but yet your trying to make a case for Reeves?? Wow!

And if you're going to act like making the pro bowl means nothing, then I don't know why I'm wasting my time here. You used Roy Williams as your great example. Like I didn't know that was coming. I guess because he made a few pro bowls where he didn't belong then everyone else who goes doesn't deserve to be there right? And if you think that the majority of Cowboy fans are all ga ga over Roy Will, then have you been living under a rock? All I hear is Cowboy fans swearing against the guy. This isn't 2003 anymore.

And how you can say that teams in the NFC East don't need good CB's to succeed is mind boggling. I guess that's why the Eagles just paid the piper for Samuel. The fact is that they thought they were upgrading by getting Samuel, and they still have Sheldon Brown which gives them 3 really good CB's right now. They can afford to let go of Sheppard, and that is the only reason why they thought about getting rid of him in the first place. In the NFC East, you have the Eagles who throw the ball a lot, the Cowboys who have a QB that almost threw for 40 TD passes and a guy by the name of TO, and the Giants who aren't to shabby when it comes to passing either. So how you say that teams in the NFC East don't need good CB's is insane. Why do you think CB's are getting paid so much these days?

And as for your last paragraph, I hope you do support the team depsite their poor history. So do I and many others, but that doesn't mean that fans aren't allowed to question moves made by management. Swallowing anything that management says or does is called blind loyalty. I thought the Colvin signing was great and the Davis one as well, but of course you'll disregard that part right?